The worthy communicant, or, A discourse of the nature, effects, and blessings consequent to the worthy receiving of the Lords Supper and of all the duties required in order to a worthy preparation : together with the cases of conscience occurring in the duty of him that ministers, and of him that communicates : to which are added, devotions fitted to every part of the ministration / by Jeremy Taylor ...

These are the best Signs I can tell of; but they are to be made use of, with the following cautions.

1. Although in trying whether your resolutions are likely to hold, and your affections to sin are gone, you must not rely upon words, but place your self in the scene and circumstances of your temptation, and try whether you be likely to hold out when sin comes with all the offers of advantage; yet be carefull that this examination of your own strength against temptation become not a tempta∣tion to you, and this is especially to be attended to in the matter of lust and fear.

For the very imaginations of a lustfull object are of themselves a direct temptation; and he that dresses his fancie with remembrances of this vanitie, opens a door to let the sin in. Murenia's little boy being afraid of the wolf at the door, opened the door to

see if he were gone, and let the beast in: and since the fancy is the proper scene of lust, he that brings the temptation there, brings it where it can best pre∣vail. Therefore in our examination concerning this evil, and whether we be likely to stand in this war, we are to examine our selves only, whether we are perfectly resolved to fly and not to fight, that is, whether we will secure our selves by the proper arts of the spirit of prudence: for if any thing can make us come neer this Devil, we are lost without remedy.

The temptations in the matter of fear are some∣thing like it, if you will examine whether you love God so well that you would dye for him, inquire as well and wisely as you can, but be not too particu∣lar. Satisfie your self with a general answer, and rest in this, if you finde that the apprehension of death is not so great as the apprehension of sin; if you pray against fear, and heap up arguments to confirm your courage and your hope, if you finde that you despise those instances of persecution that you meet with; for the rest, believe in God, who it may be will not give strengths before you need them; and therefore be satisfied with thus much, that your present strength is sufficient for any pre∣sent trial; and when a greater comes, God hath promised to give you more strength when you shall have need of more. But examine your self by what is likely to fall upon you actually. It may be you have cause to fear that you shall be made poor for a good conscience, or imprisoned for your du∣ty, or banished for religion, consider if you love God so well that you are likely to suffer that, which is likely to happen to you; but do not dress your examination with rare contingencies and un∣likely

accidents, and impossible cases. Do not ask your self whether you would endure the rack for God, or the application of burning Basons to your eyes, or the torment of a slow fire, or whether you had rather go to hell than commit a sin; this is too phantastick a trial; and when God (it may be) knowing your weakness, will never put you to it really, do not you tempt your self by fancy, and an afflictive representment.

Domitian was a cruel man, false and bloody; and to be neer him was a perpetual danger: enough to try the constancy of the bravest Roman. But once that he might be wanton in his cruelty; he invited the chiefest of the Patricii to Supper; who coming in obedience and fear enough, entred into a Court all hanged with blacks, and from thence were con∣ducted into dining rooms by the Pollinctors, who used to dress the bodies unto Funerals: the lights of heaven (we may suppose) were quite shut out by the approaching night and arts of obscurity; when they were in those charnel houses (for so they seemed) every one was placed in order, a black Pillar or Coffin set by him, and in it a dim taper besmeared with brimstone that it might burn faint, and blew, and solemn; where when they had stood a while like designed sacrifices, or as if the Prince were sending them on solemn Embassie to his bro∣ther the Prince of Darkness; on a sudden entred so many naked Black-Moors, or Children besmear'd with the horrid juice of the sepia, who having dan∣ced a little in phantastick and Devils postures, re∣tired a while, and then returned serving up a ban∣quet as at solemn funerals; and Wine brought to them in Urnes instead of Goblets; with deepest silence, now and then interrupted with fearful

groans and shriekings. Here the Senators, who possibly could have strugled with the abstracted thoughts of death, seeing it dressed in all the fear∣ful imagerie and Ceremonies of the grave; had no powers of Philosophy or Roman courage; but falling into a lipothymie or deep swooning, made up this pageantry of death with a representing of it unto the life. This scene of sorrows was over-acted, and it was a witty cruelty to kill a wise man, by making him too imaginative and phantastical. It is not good to break a staffe by too much trying the strength of it, or to undo a mans soul by a useless and so phantastick a temptation. For he that tries himself further than he hath need of, is like Palae∣mons shepherd, who fearing the foot-bridge was not strong enough to try it, loaded it so long, till by his unequal trial he broke that which would have born a bigger burden than he had to carry o∣ver it. Some things will better suffer a long usage, than an unequal trial.

2. When any man hath by the former measures examined himself, how his affections do stand to sin and folly, by whatsoever signs he is usually made confident; let him be sure to make abatements of his confidence, if he have found that he hath failed already in despight of all his Arts, and all his pur∣poses. If we have often fallen back from our reso∣lutions, there is then no sign left for us but the thing signified: nothing can tell us how our affections are, but by observing what they do. For he that hath broken his word with me, when it was in his power to keep it; hath destroyed my confidence in him: but if he hath deceived me twice or thrice in the same thing; for shame and prudence sake I will venture no more, if I can be disobliged. If we

therefore have fail'd of our promises to God so many times, that we can speak nothing reasonably of our proceedings, nor imagine what thoughts God hath concerning us, but the hardest and the worst; though we have great reason to rejoyce in Gods long suffering and infinite patience, yet by any signs which can be given we have no reason to trust our selves.

••or if we shall now examine; we can tell no more than we could do before, we were alwayes deceived in our conjectures and pretences; and it is more likely now; because sin hath so long pre∣vailed; and by our frequent relapses we must at least learn this truth, that our hearts are false, and our promises are not to be trusted. In this case, no testimony is credible but an eye witnesse. There∣fore let us leave all artificial examinations and be∣take our selves to the solid and material practices of a religious life. We must do something really, before we can by inquiring tell how it is with us. When we have resolved, and in some measure per∣formed our resolution; when we have stood the shock of a temptation and found our heart firm as in a day of religion; when we perceive sin to be wea∣ker, and the kingdom of grace to grow in power; when we feel that all our holy vows are more than words, and that we are not the same easie fools, al∣wayes giving God good words but never perfor∣ming them; but that now we have set our foot up∣on the enemy, and are not infallibly carried away when our temptation comes; then we may in∣quire further, and look after the former signes and indications of spiritual life, and the just measures of preparation. Till then let us not trouble our selves with the particulars of spiritual arts and the artificial

methods of religion; for things are not so well with us as we suppose.